So We Are Getting An Iraq Enquiry – Of Sorts.

Of course Gordon Brown has said that it will be in Private. He would not of course want a repeat of the Hutton Inquiry in to the circumstances surrounding the death of Doctor David Kelly, which allowed the public to recognise a white wash when the finished report came out. The BBC was right. The British Government had “sexed up” claims that Iraq could strike the UK within 45 minutes.

Of course, the remit of the enquiry will be limited, as we will not be expecting to see any Ministers or even the previous Prime Minister banged to rights over what many still see as an illegal war. We certainly should not expect to see the public questioning of any US politician or Diplomat.

So I doubt any of the following issues will be considered:-

Full ministerial conduct including that of the Prime Minister in promoting the case for war. What level of co-ordination was there between the UK and US in promoting the case for War. At what level?
The prosecution of that war and the consequences of that War. Whether the UK was complicit in War crimes, especially in light of recent revelations by the United States of America.

The numbers of Iraqi citizens that died as a result of the War. The effects on terrorism generated by the Iraq War. The economic consequences for Iraq of the War and what our resulting liabilities are.

Whether statements made to the House of Parliament about our full involvement in Iraq and our complicity in torture still hold true. Whether Ministers, especially the Foreign Secretary misled Parliament and the Courts about their knowledge of torture during the Binyam Mohamed case.

If these issues were covered in depth, then what people will continue to regard as a great crime against humanity may take the necessary small steps towards closure.